Apparatus for smoothyl rounding tubular can bodies



Aug. 5,- 1952 J. M. OLVEY ETAL 2,605,309

APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHLY ROUNDING TUBULAR CAN BODIES Filed March 23, 1. 151

2 SHEETS SHEET 1 INVENTOR. U054 M04 vs V /aulva/vfi. 0x. vsy

m M r 7 a Patent ed Aug. 5, 1952 This invention appertains to improvements in apparatus-for. smoothly rounding can bodies and particularly relates stomachines, utilized for reshaping "cylindrical milk cans;

- -IIh-e. primary object of this invention is to pro vide a can straightening andsmoothing apparatms'on'vvhichecans canine operated upon, without necessitating the removalof thetop or bot:- tom of; :the. .;,caniand with which an even pressure can ,be ,obtained-; 1 o o q I .;,,Another object of; thisinventionis to provide a-can reshap n andsrnoothins a pa tus which includes a; pair; of cooperative rollers, the rollers engaging;internally and externally the wall of a. canibodyand applying an even pressure to straighten. the wall of the can body, without stretching the wall and imposing deleterious wear and strain on the wall.

A further object of thisv invention is to provide a compact can reshaping apparatus which is fast andefiicient in operation.

:These and ancillary" objects ,and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the; preferred embodiment of which is set forth in thefollowing description and illustrated in the ac om enrine dr wi s Whereim ifigurel is a side, elevational view of a can I "6 s afragmentary transverse sectional 4 view taken on line5-6 of Figure 1.

Refe' "in cw; 'ore'particularly to the accompanyirig" drawings; the illustrated can reshaping and straightening apparatus [0 includes v a, base structure 'l2, which preferably consists of 'a"'pairof' parallel-facing channelside bars l4 and I6 mounted on transversesupporting channel bars l8 and 20.4 1-

Longitudinally spaced and aligned bearing .hlcoksz z and 24 are mounted by meansof sup- -po rts -26 ar 1d 28 on the upper edges of the side bars and i6 and support a shaft 30, on which I -a; ol:le r .32' is circumposed, the roller being posid b'etween thebearing blocks. A sprocket 34 1s whichfe rtends inwardly from-the bearing 24 and is drivingly connected by means of a chain 36 to a sprocket 38; which is fixed on the inward end of a drive shaft 40. The drive shaft 40 is roedlyac'ircumposed on the end of the shaft 1 tatablvi u m aledv between the s d s .14 and.

* APPARATUSEFORISMOGTHLY ROUNDING TUBULARCANBODIES M I I o ffiuu'Mg'olvey na HollinanB. o1ve'y j IQ 1, 1 Gei ApplicationMarch 23,-1951, S -eria N 247,178

' zcla'um. (o1.'f1 5's-" si f I6 and drive pulleys 42 are fixedly circumposed 0l'l-;thB,0llt8I' end thereof the pulleys being suit:-

ably connected by a drive transmission mechanismtciapri e mov (n s o pT eirolle 132-, w ssta n relative t the basestructureis driven about an axis paralleling the side bars I4 and l6 and paralleling ;the axis; of the drive shaft M1 and is adapted to engage externally the wall of a can, such as the millrcanfl l,depicted in FigureL; .-:A,. conventional transmission 46 is operatively associated; with the drive shaft 40 and is controlled by a manual actuable lever 48, so as to eontroltherotative movements of theroller 32, the roller beingrotatable in clockwise and counterclockwise directions o .A dd 'er sha n r l r '5 is i d; f r. w- .o rat e l-w t the dri n sh i g roller h roller 50 being arranged to be inserted'within the can, 44 ;to engage the interior surface of the sidewallof thecan in direct oppositionto the driven roller,32.- A longitudinalp-ressure leverfsupports the idler roller .50 on'an. end th ereof' and the oppositeendof the lever is mounted on the adjacent end of the base structure by a pivot pin which traverses a pair of upstanding cars" 58 whichare fixed'on a transverse supporting bar 60 mounted on the'upp'er edges of the side bars l4 and [6, near the pulleys 42. A-stub axle 62 is downwardly offset from the longitudinal axis of th'epressure lever 52 and is suitably anchored in the .end $4v thereof. A ball bearing assembly 66 is circumpo's'e'd on the outer end of the stub axle 62 and positionedthereon in any suitable manner.

The insert 68 of the roller 50 is fixedly circu n- I posed on the, outer race 'Hlof the ball bearing assembly 66, so that the idler roller 50 is mounted on-thepin .62 for free rotative movement, with out any frictional drag. a

A sleeve n is mounted n a pair of cross bars 14-Iandf'l5 which are transversely fixed on the K up er'eages of the sidebars I4Iand IS, the sleeve j gp mg longitudinally disposed with the pressure lever 52 extendinglthrough the sleeve. Ayertical -opening'j ,16ffis ',formed in the'to'p wall 18 of the sleevevfor the reception "of a plunger 80, which is adapted to bear on th e upper edgeof the pressure lever 52,,as' illustratedlin Figure 4. The plunger is actuated by a hydraulic rams: mounted on' the top wall [8 of the sleeve. The ram32 is: operative to urge the lever 52 downwardly so as to engage the idler roller 50 with the internal surface of the sidewall of the can 44 in opposition to the driven roller 32.

Alug 84 projects upwardly from a cross bar 86, mounted on the side bars 14 and I6, and forms anabutrnentfor the lower end of a spring 88,

which is affixed at its upper end to the underside of the lever 52, intermediate the pivot 54 and the plunger 80 and serves to yieldably urge the lever upwardly.

A pair of longitudinally spaoed guide roller elementsil fare. carried by the side bar IQ-and a circular "pair of guide roller elements 92 are carried by the side bar [4, the pairs of guide roller elements being in opposed arrangement and being positioned to engage a lower part of;

and i8, andspriiigs l-Ull compressed between the sidebars-andthe bars 9 6 urge thebars 96 outwa'r'dly; Stop screws 102 arefthreadingl-y carried-by the blocks :above the pivots 98 a'nd'bear *against -the bars 96 for lock-ing the bars in seIect'ed vertical planes, against th'e'tens'ion of the springs illil. Rollers HM are rotatably journaled in U shape d supports l'06,'which are'affi'x'ed to the laterally inward sides of and atthe upper ends oithe-bars '9 6.

- operation, facanbodyis disposed on the idler roller 59 and the guide roller bars 96 are adjusted to bring the rollers 1 04 into positive engagement with the external surface of the side wan of the can-as seen inFigure 3. "The ram 80 isjthen actuated to move the lever-52 about the pivot-54 and bring the'roll'ers 5B ands: into 00.- operative relationship, so that the rollers engage "externally and internally the wall of the can with s'iiificient force to roll and shape the 'can side wallto'its original cylindrical'contour.

4 normally urging said lever outwardly away from said one side of the base, a movable shaping roller journalled on the other end of said lever with its axis paralleling the axis of said fixed shaping roller, said movable rollerbeing positioned at the side of said fixed rollerreniote froin' the said one "side of the base, and pressureexerting means Upon "release-of the ram 82 the "spring 88 is the can body.

Having thus -"described this invention, *what is p'lainied is: j

1'. In apparatus for restoring the plane "cylindrical contour of a dentedean "sidewall, a base,

mounted on said base and engaging an intermediate part of said lever for swinging said lever laterally-inwardly toward the said one side of the 'base with a can circumposed on said movable roller so as to engage the can sidewall with the "fixed roller with suificient selected force to roll and reshape the can sidewall between the rollers.

2. In apparatus for restoring the plane cylindrical contour of a dented can sidewall, a base,

a drive shaft extending longitudinally of said.

base and journalled thereon, said drive shaft having an-end located at one end of 'said base iprovided' with means ffor connection to a 'power source, theotherend of said 'drive shaitterrriihating in longitudinally spaoed relation to the other "end of the base, -'afixed-shaping 'rolle'r mounted on said base'between the saidother end of the drive shaft andthe saiddther end 'of the base. said 'fixe'd roller having "its axis parallelto and spaced laterally from one side 'oi said'base, said fixed roller having an end operatively connected to said other end o f' the-driv'eshaft, 'a pre'ssure lev'er'extending longitudinally along 'said one side of the base and laterally spaced therefrom-means -pivoting one end of said-leverto thesaid Queens of thebase, springmeansaeting betweensaidbne side of the base andan intermediate partofsaid lever and normally urging s'aid lever outwardly away from said one sideof "the base, a n iovable shaping roller journalle'd on th'e other end of said lever with its axis pa'rallelingftheaxis of said fixed shaping roller, said -Inovablerol1'er Lb'e ing positioned *at the side-6f said fixed roller remote from the said one sicle of "the base, ami pressure exerting means-mounted on saidbas'e and engaging an intermediatepart of said lever for swinging said lever laterally inwardly towa'rd the said one side of the; base with acancircumposed'on said movable roller "so as to engagetlie can sidewall "with :the fixed roller with suifi'cient selected iorcet'o an "and reshape-thecan sidewall between the rollers, said base -having;lateially fadjustabl'e guide roller elements mounted on *said base at opposite sides of said'fixetlfi'tillei',"said roller elements 'includin'groll'ers for engaig'iiigthe a drive shaft extending longitudinally of said base anjd .journalled thereon, said drive shaft having anj "end located aton'e end of said base provided with means for connection toia 'power source, the other end of said drive shaft terminating in longitudinally spacedirelation to the'othe'r end" of the base, a fixed shaping rollermounted on said basebetween the said-other 'end'ofthe driveshaft and the said other end of the'base,/said fixed roller having its axis parallelt'o and spaced laterany from one side of said'bas'e,said-fixedroller having an end operatively conneted tosaido ther end of the drive shaft;a pressurelever extending longitudinally along said onesideof thebase and laterally spaced therefrorn, m'eansjpivoting one end of said lever-to the said one-end of thebase. spring means acting between saidone side of the baseand an intermediate part of-saidlever*and can sidewall and "being laterally"adjustable to support and center a can relative to said 'fiice'd roller. f' r "1 UEL O VEY- l t HOLLMAN BQQDV'EY.

p a ass E'RENeg -emsn 1 {following rferembes' are of reeord Tin "the file of this patent: I I I UNITED STATES PATENTS 

